The effect of duration of muscle denervation on functional recovery in the rat model

• Published in: Muscle & nerve Vol. 20; no. 7; pp. 858 - 866
• Main Authors: Kobayashi, Jun, Mackinnon, Susan E., Watanabe, Osamu, Ball, Douglas J., Ming Gu, Xiao, Hunter, Daniel A., Kuzon Jr, William M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-07-1997; Wiley
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Development. Senescence. Regeneration. Transplantation; Disease Models, Animal; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hindlimb; Locomotion - physiology; Male; Muscle Denervation; Muscle, Skeletal - innervation; nerve regeneration; Nerve Regeneration - physiology; Neural Conduction - physiology; Organ Size; Peroneal Nerve - physiology; Rats; Rats, Inbred Lew; Sciatic Nerve - physiology; Tibial Nerve - injuries; Tibial Nerve - pathology; Tibial Nerve - surgery; Time Factors; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; walking-track analysis; Regeneration; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Rat; Rodentia; Axon; Motor nerve; Striated muscle; Motricity; Recovery; Denervation
• ISSN: 0148-639X; 1097-4598
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4598(199707)20:7<858::AID-MUS10>3.0.CO;2-O

The effect of long‐term denervation on neuromuscular recovery was studied in a rat hind limb model. The posterior tibial nerve was transected and repaired immediately or after denervation periods of 2 weeks, or 1, 3, 6, 9, or 12 months. Six months following reconstruction excellent axonal regeneration was seen across all nerve repairs irrespective of periods of denervation. However, there was a precipitous and profound decrease in the recovery of both muscle mass and integrated motor function if the reconstruction was delayed for longer than 1 month. Rather than a progressive change proportional to the length of the denervation period, significant, more discrete changes occurred sometime after 1 month of denervation that precluded a full recovery of muscle mass. Integrated motor function quantified using walking track analysis was impaired even after immediate nerve repair. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 20: 858–866, 1997